Thread: multiple copies
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Old 12-19-2009, 05:35 AM   #12
mikelv
Developer of EPUBReader
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabardeyn View Post
Alright, I've got to raise some questions here regarding using CRCs and/or identifiers.

If the CRC is based on the epub file, and the epub file included bookmark information, than the CRC will never be valid. Because every time a bookmark is added, removed or changed, the CRC will be altered.

Identifiers pose a similar problem because it implies that books never change. And the problem is that ebooks are changing. Ebooks are starting to have versions, just like software, due to corrections in page order, typos, etc. However, in most instances no version information or release note is being offered. Changes are being implemented without warning or anyone's knowledge. So effectively two people could have the exact same book. Except, they're different. Until some kind of major snafu occurs with a mis-quotation, things will be awkward. (Which is why I'm really rooting for the widespread appeal of e-textbooks and other non-fiction writings which need clear and accurate citations.)

Because of both of these issues, I would prefer that the user be asked where they want to save a file. Barring that, perhaps a user setting with a default Save To... path? At least then the user knows where to find any downloaded files.
Thanks for your feedback Sabardeyn!

For me these are two different topics: how can a unique book be identified and where should the epub-files be stored.

Identification
I did already talk to Jon Noring who is one of the main contributors to the ePub specification. He said that the identifier is the way to go to distinguish between different books. This would mean, if you load a book, it's checked if you loaded already another book with the same identifier, if this is the case, the stored book is overriden with the new loaded book.

And you are right, there is no version information in the book. But this is something EPUBReader can't solve, this has to be solved in the ePub specification.

Store location
Due to security reasons the profile directory of Firefox is the only place where EPUBReader can store the ePub-files. As I know that many people want to store their epubs in another directory because they want to transfer them e.g. to their netbook, I've added the possibility to save the epubs at a location of your choice (via the save button at the bottom or in the ePub-library).
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